This invention relates to a method and apparatus for storing tobacco or the like in a high stack and discharging the same.
In a prior art apparatus for storing tobacco, tobacco is stored as a stack directly on a belt conveyor. In this case, if tobacco is stacked as a too high stack, the quality of tobacco is adversely affected, due to its own weight, that is, there is a limitation on the height of the stack. Therefore, the apparatus is inevitably large in size and requires a large installation area. Further, when storing separate tobacco leaves in a controlled moisture content state in the apparatus, they form a bridge of a large mass for they are stacked in a horizontally overlapped condition. At the time of discharging, such mass of tobacco leaves is discharged as such from a head section of the storing conveyor which is being driven. Such lump of tobacco leaves cannot be stably supplied to the next process station. If such mass of tobacco leaves is unraveled into predetermined quantities using an unraveling mechanism, the mesophyll of the tobacco leaves are seriously damaged. For the above reasons, tobacco leaves can be stacked only as high as approximately 1.2 m. Further, where tobacco leaves free of stems shredded tobacco leaves are piled up in a high stack, it is liable that the lower part of the stack is compressed and densely bound together. Also, breakage of tobacco leaves and adverse effects on the quality of tobacco such as aroma are expected. Further, adverse effects on the smoking taste of tobacco are likely. For the above reasons, the upper limit of the stack height is usually about 1.2 m (1.5 m max.) in case of cut tobacco leaves free from stems and 0.5 m(0.7 m max.) in case of shredded or cut tobacco. Accordingly, usually a plurality of storage conveyors are stacked one above another. In a further aspect, tobacco is usually stacked in the storing conveyor for the purpose of blending, and it is stacked to varying heights unless the stacking is done using a stacking conveyor which is reciprocable over the entire length of the storing conveyor. Therefore, it is difficult to permit the stored tobacco to be discharged at a constant rate.